Culture Change Key in Overhauling the ZIMRA Brand
By Chenayi Mack-Maponga
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Culture Change Programme has made significant strides, with over two hundred ZIMRA employees gathering at Manna Resorts in Harare on March 25, 2025, for the initiative.
The programme feeds into broader change management efforts and aims to reorganize, restructure, and reinvigorate the ZIMRA culture, brand, and operations.
In her opening remarks, the Commissioner General of ZIMRA, Ms. Regina Chinamasa, stated, "The Culture Change project seeks to revive the ZIMRA brand and position it as an integral part of the organization’s strategic thrust. We are mandated by the government to mobilize resources for the nation’s development. The government relies on us and will need us to create a customer-centric culture to increase compliance and facilitate smarter and easier revenue collection."
In his opening remarks, Acting Director for Human Capital, Mr. Samuel Sithole, challenged everyone in the organization to embrace a culture of change and tolerance. "We need to work together, both the new and mature members of the organization. Those young folks coming in are bringing new ideas that we, as the more mature members, need to embrace and explore," said Mr. Sithole.
Distinctive Consultants guided the discussions. "Culture is linked to strategy, which means that strategy is what we do while culture is how we do it. We have spoken to some of the ZIMRA members, and I am glad that most of us are brutally honest about the prevailing culture," said Rose Nhamo, the lead consultant for Distinctive Consultancy.
Weighing in on the same sentiments, Sean Mahliwa, a behavior change expert from South Africa, emphasized, "We need to develop a client-centric culture that encourages taxpayers to comply and not resist paying their dues. Be patient and nurture your clients, as this is critical for ensuring things are done right. Be ethical and embrace integrity. You change champions should lead with integrity and treat everyone fairly."
How employees relate to each other and their clients is largely influenced by the culture within the organization. Insights from the culture change management project revealed a need for improvement in relationships among employees. Toxic relationships often lead employees to extend their negative energy toward unsuspecting clients, resulting in lower client satisfaction levels.
The Change Consultants emphasized five pillars of the transformation:
- Innovative thinking and continuous improvement
- Trust and collaborative client relationships
- An empowered and accountable workforce
- Client-centric excellence
- Integrity and ethical leadership
ZIMRA has recognized the necessity for culture change. The organization has embraced change, leading to the implementation of cultural reforms, the elimination of fear, the fostering of innovation, the removal of silos, and the promotion of teamwork within ZIMRA.
"The mission of the culture change process is to align the Authority’s modernized service delivery and processes. Change does not only apply to larger initiatives; many seemingly small aspects can have a significant impact on culture and corporate identity," said Sevilia Siziva, one of the culture change agents at the event.
The culture change management project aims to build a ZIMRA brand that both employees and taxpayers can take pride in.
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